Fighting talk

Bellew’s belief comes after he beat Ovill McKenzie on Saturday night to add the British title to his credentials. Now the Liverpudlian is of the opinion that he is ready to step up in class to fight the highly-rated Cleverly.

Super confident Bellew said of his possible clash with the Welshman: "At the end of the day, I'm sure the fight will happen. I can't stand him and he can't stand me. He takes it personally. I annoy him, I make him angry and he's going to pay for that anger when I fight him.

"He'll still be confident and he's unbeaten just like me - he believes no one can beat him. I believe if I stick to a game plan, I can beat anybody."

Bellew was in line to face the Welshman in May as a late replacement after Juergen Braehmer withdrew from his clash with Cleverly, but the Liverpool boxer failed to make the weight.

"Let's do it in September and let's do it with Cleverly - that's what I'm saying," continued Bellew. "I'm happy for that fight to happen in September. But Frank Warren calls the shots, as he's my manager and promoter."

Cleverly, who beat Aleksy Kuziemski to retain his WBO light-heavyweight title in May, says he is also open to the idea of facing Bellew.

"I've got no problem with it," Cleverly told Boxing Scene. "It's been on before, so let's do it again."